Thoughts from the PPA Office – Adam Hurley muses on his departure

A note of reflection from Adam Hurley, as he commences on a new chapter at the BHA

After four years of ups, downs, thrills and spills, my time at the Point-to-Point Authority has come to an end, writes Adam Hurley. During that time the sport has battled with ‘the Beast from the East’, equine influenza, a global pandemic and more – it has certainly never been boring.

What has been constant throughout is the tireless enthusiasm and passion of the many volunteers that orchestrate this travelling circus, taking grassroots amateur jump racing to the countryside every weekend. For the few of us that are lucky enough to earn a wage from this sport they really are inspirational.

It turns out that point-to-pointing does not only provide young horses and jockeys for a career under rules, the sport can nurture racing staff too. I will shortly be taking up a position at the British Horseracing Authority, working within the Racing Department but specifically looking at British horse racing’s relevance on the global stage. Readers of this newspaper will have no doubt seen some of the Quality Jump Racing Review Group recommendations announced recently, and I look forward to working on this and other initiatives to strengthen British horse racing.

I have loved my time working in pointing, right from day one when a certain Energumene had 24 hours earlier made a winning debut as a four-year-old at Larkhill. The office was buzzing at a potential superstar graduate who could – and would – go on to greater things under rules. Day two involved chatting with Bryony Frost for a feature in this newspaper, who at the time was just beginning to have some success after learning her trade in the pointing field. Seeing our young horses and riders progress to professional racing, enjoying the twilight years of ex-handicappers as they extend their racing careers in pointing, and getting up close to thoroughbreds jumping at speed are all elements that have thrilled a horse racing fanatic who has religiously followed the sport since an early age.

Of course there have been challenges aplenty, none more so than this wretched virus that continues to disrupt. Pointing has had to endure stop-start seasons, including a three-month shutdown when COVID was taking hold in March 2020. Committees have had to plan for a race day that may never arrive, riders have had to change in their cars, codes of conduct, e-ticketing, 48-hour declarations – the obstacles to overcome have been endless. Perhaps the biggest sadness of all was racing behind closed doors, when it is the spectators and famous car-boot picnics that makes a day out at a point-to-point so special.

Those days will return though, and the appetite we have seen so far this season from the paying public has been remarkable. The sport is in rude health, and led by my colleague Peter Wright is in safe hands – years of crisis planning for the military in his previous career has so far proved invaluable. So if you have seen the advertising signs but have never been to your local point-to-point, I urge you to go pointing!

*taken from the Racing Post Friday 28th January